JOHN CARTER OF MARS in The Funnies (1939)

John Carter made his first comic book appearance in The Funnies #30, back in 1939. The art is credited to Jim Gary. I found it on ComicBookPlus a year or two ago, but it has since been removed, no doubt due to copyright issues. Issue 31 was not there, nor was 33, but I was able to snag 32 and 34, so I have only snapshots of the early part of the story. We'll likely see the others somewhere down the Almanack Trail.

Unforgettable Books: TARZAN, CONQUEROR OF MARS by Will Murray

This is it: The most eagerly awaited team-up of all time. The Lord of the Jungle meets the Warlord of Mars!

I’m not going to tell you tell you how that meeting comes about – or what sort of ruckus erupts when it does – but I’ll tell you this: It was well worth the wait. I found Tarzan, Conqueror of Mars faithful in every way to the spirit and tradition of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and a thoroughly entertaining adventure.

I have only one complaint. After 437 pages, it ended. I wanted the story to go on and on.

Having proven his ability to channel Lester Dent in the Wild Adventures of Doc Savage, Will Murray demonstrates he’s also up to filling the dusty boots of Edgar Rice Burroughs.

I was impressed with his deft handling of both main characters. Tarzan is as fierce as ever, half-savage and half-civilized, and loyal to Jane and all who depend on him. John Carter is proud, fair-minded, considerate, and a great strategist. Both, of course, are self-sacrificing and utterly fearless. To add to the authenticity, Tarzan’s point of view is narrated in third person, while John Carter’s is in first, just like the Burroughs’ books.

In typical Burroughs fashion, Tarzan finds himself mysteriously transported to Barsoom, and sets about dealing with his strange new environment. He encounters beasts, peoples and circumstances wholly outside his experience, and – in typical Tarzan fashion – makes himself master of this new domain. He turns enemies into allies and embarks on an unrelenting quest to find his way back to home and family.

Along the way, there are typically ferocious battles, cool plot twists and a host of engaging characters – both old and new. For those of us who’ve read both the Tarzan and Mars series, this is a joyous reunion with many of the characters and concepts we’ve come to love. For those acquainted only with Tarzan, it’s a great introduction to the world of Barsoom, opening up a whole new world of adventure.

The battle scenes are all nicely handled, and one in particular was so good it made me want to stand up and cheer.

It’s rare these days for me to find a book I don’t want to put down, but this one was exactly that. The narrative drive kept me turning those pages until my eyeballs gave out, and left me eager to start again.

Bravo, Mr. Murray! Tarzan, Conqueror of Mars is an instant classic. 

REED CRANDALL of Mars

John Carter of Mars

The Gods of Mars

Warlord of Mars

Dejah Thoris

A Fighting Man of Mars

John Carter of Mars

Art Gallery : John Carter of The Funnies (1939-40)

Art Gallery: Tarzan meets John Carter (1996)

Forgotten Books: The Gods of Mars & The Warlord of Mars

Gotta admit, one of the main attractions to reviewing this book is having an excuse to revisit all this amazing Frazetta artwork. But I enjoyed the rereading, too, more than I expected, and found The Gods of Mars to be quite a surprise.

Along with A Princess of Mars, these books form a trilogy. But between Princess and Gods there's a ten-year gap in the story. Not so here. Warlord picks up immediately after Gods ends, and if not for a shift in theme and tone, they might be considered one long novel. 

At one time or another, I've read all of ERB's books. I enjoy the action, the mystery, the romance, the imagination, the mellodrama and (especially) the great battle scenes. But in most cases (Warlord included), that's all there is to them. The surprise in The Gods of Mars is that Burroughs pursued a serious theme. He took on organized religion and pretty much kicked butt.

When red and green skinned Martian believers (and there are no unbelievers) make the journey to heaven, most are devoured by a race of disgusting plant men. Most of those who escape the plant men are torn limb from limb by great white apes. Those few who survive the apes become slaves for a year to an ancient, toad-like crone, after which they are put to death. The toad-like crone, in turn, is queen of a black-skinned race that believes they are the true chosen ones, and have exclusive rights on reaching heaven. But that, too, is a lie, because are in turn eaten by holiest race of all, the white skins.

This had to be pretty heady stuff for 1912. Makes me wonder how Burroughs really felt about religion, and how much flak he took from the church. One of these days I'll have dig out my copy of Irwin Porges' huge ERB biography and see if it tells me.

 

More Forgotten Books at Sweet Freedom!

Overlooked Films: Princess of Mars (2009)

Here's a flick that was overlooked even before it was released - direct to DVD. Would I like to see it sometime? Yeah, I suppose. As long as I don't have to pay.

Traci Lords as Dejah Thoris

Matt Lasky as Tars Tarkus

More, and surely better, Overlooked Films at Sweet Freedom.

Art Gallery: A Princess of Mars

 

(Un)Forgotten Books: A Princess of Mars

 

Ah, the power of advertising.

TV has been hammering me with trailers for the new John Carter movie for over a month now, and it worked. Heck, I couldn’t even wait for the movie. I had to bust out my old Science Fiction Book Club volumes and dive back into the world of Barsoom.

And it didn’t disappoint. 100 years after it’s first publication, this novel is still a wild ride. Sure, it’s a little creaky in places, especially around the romance, but it’s still a great story and a great concept. Burroughs' world-building was complex and varied enough to carry him through nine more novels. And in the process, he created a sub-genre of science fiction that’s been expanded by a long line of other authors, right down to a guy named Charles Gramlich.

Not surprisingly, A Princess of Mars left me wanting more, so I powered right through the sequel, The Gods of Mars, and have the rest of the books lined up like dominoes.

Will the movie live up to the book? Maybe, maybe not. The important thing is - the book still lives.

 

For your Forgotten Book fix, visit the exotic planet of pattinase.